2011 YEAR IN REVIEW PAGE: The national, world events that shaped the year
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/ghns_pages/x1691079206/Year-in-Review-A-Look-Back-at-2011

The Street

HOLIDAYS: '12 Days of Christmas' costs more than $100K -- Buying all of the gifts described in the 12 Days of Christmas will set you back six figures this year. By Jeanine Skowronski, The Street
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x1178214282/12-Days-of-Christmas-Costs-More-Than-100K

BLACK FRIDAY: Why Black Friday was huge this year -- Black Friday retail sales exceeded even the wildest expectations, and there are some key reasons. By Matt Brownell, The Street
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x2042556218/Why-Black-Friday-Was-Huge-This-Year

PETS: Heir of the dog: Provide for pets in perpetuity -- It isn't just crazy cat ladies and multimillionaire celebrities who leave an inheritance for their pets. By Joe Mont, The Street
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x1178214242/Heir-of-the-Dog-Provide-for-Pets-in-Perpetuity

APPLE: iCloud fails to deliver -- A simple fix in the iTunes podcast subscriptions could make iPad's truly independent from the laptop. By Anton Wahlman, The Street
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x1178214234/Apple-iCloud-Fails-to-Deliver

INVESTING: The killer U.S. investment that's, literally, a killer -- A bright spot in the smoldering economy is natural gas. But a popular method of extracting it is poisoning us. By Gary Weiss
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x1178214238/The-Killer-U-S-Investment-Thats-Literally-a-Killer

FACEBOOK: Facebook IPO may arrive in spring -- The social networking giant is reportedly targeting a public debut in the April-June timeframe, and could seek to raise as much as $10 billion. By Michael Baron, The Street
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x2042556133/Facebook-IPO-May-Arrive-in-Spring

Find more news from The Street at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business

Lifestyles

FAMILY TIME: Family Time: Finding the perfect gift for grandma and grandpa - Weekly family rail, with tips on buying presents for grandparents, a review of “The Future of Us,” the best "Muppets" movies and more. By GHNS.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x2003967527/Family-Time-Finding-the-perfect-gift-for-grandma-and-grandpa
* Localization tip: Any of the first three items can be localized – ask a local family counselor to provide a tip of the week, ask movie-going parents to give reviews of movies or ask youngsters to send in book reviews.

HOLIDAY ETIQUETTE: When to bring a gift --- Dawn Bryan is the New York-based author of “The Art and Etiquette of Gift Giving” and the founder of lifestyle website Qualipedia, www.thequalipedia.com. Whether or not to bring a gift, she said, depends on: Kathryn Rem/ The State Journal-Register (Ill.)
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/holidays_seasonal/christmas/x1877322075/Holiday-etiquette-When-to-bring-a-gift
Facebook idea: What is your go-to gift when invited to a dinner or a party?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Sweet potato or yam? -- weekly Food for Thought with items on the difference between a yam and a sweet potato, an easy recipe and more. GHNS
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x756964964/Food-for-Thought-Sweet-potato-or-yam

JIM HILLIBISH: A soup to consume your leftover turkey -- Do you have leftover turkey? Who doesn’t? In my family, we always have soup on Thanksgiving night. It goes down easy after the carbo-holic main feast at noon. Canton (Ohio) Repository
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/ebyline/food/x1954210892/Jim-Hillibish-A-soup-to-consume-your-leftover-turkey
*Callout idea: Send us your favorite recipe for consuming leftovers.

CANDICE TELLS ALL: Building a modern, spa-like bathroom -- They wanted a sleek, up-to-date bathroom to match the rest of their modern house and had an unused room beside the bathroom. So I decided to take the two drab, dated rooms and give Kim and Rob a gorgeous bathroom that was both functional and luxurious. Candice Olson/ Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x1954210919/Candice-Tells-All-Building-a-modern-spa-like-bathroom

INTERIORS: Tips to make the Christmas season less stressful -- Thanksgiving has come and gone, so now the Christmas rush has truly begun. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the amount of work to be done in such a short time. Let's see if we can figure out a way to make this season a little less stressful and a little more fun. Rosemary Sadez Friedmann/ Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/holidays_seasonal/christmas/x1954210981/Interiors-Tips-to-make-the-Christmas-season-less-stressful

TREASURES: Some 'Moby Dick' pieces are pursued by collectors -- I am enclosing a photograph of a small chocolate pot (I think) with a "Moby Dick" pattern by Rockwell Kent. It was made by Vernon Kilns. It is 5.5 inches tall with dark blue lines and a sailboat depicted on the front. Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson/ Scripps Howard News Services
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x648811799/Treasures-Some-Moby-Dick-pieces-are-pursued-by-collectors

HOME STYLE: Tiny trees have huge impact on holiday decor -- A towering pine tree decorated to the hilt will always be king of the Christmas-tree forest, in my opinion. But I have to admit that I've recently developed a huge crush on the big tree's smaller "siblings." Mary Carol Garrity/ Scripps Howard News Services
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/holidays_seasonal/christmas/x1286595895/Home-Style-Tiny-trees-have-huge-impact-on-holiday-decor

UGLY BACKYARD: A backyard brought back to life - Lisa Duncan and her family never spent time in their backyard. Sand spurs covered what was left of the grass. An old shed rusted in the corner. The yard was so ugly, Duncan thought it should win an award. Earlier in November, it did. By Susan Thurston, Scripps Howard.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/home_and_garden/x2086541811/A-backyard-brought-back-to-life

HOMEFIX: Gift ideas for the DIY'er - Here are some Christmas-gift ideas that will help the DIY'er in your family tackle those small and odd jobs around the house. By Dwight Barnett, Scripps Howard.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/holidays_seasonal/christmas/x1904671542/Homefix-Gift-ideas-for-the-DIYer

DAVID ROBSON: No time like the present for these garden tasks - There are some last few things to do to bed down the yard and garden before winter’s wrath. By David Robson, Springfield, Ill.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x1374759728/David-Robson-No-time-like-the-present-for-these-garden-tasks

THOMAS MICKEY: Holiday warmth - the sun-loving poinsettia - The poinsettia remains a favorite plant for the holidays. Plants, like people, sometimes make a long journey from home to another culture. That’s the story of the poinsettia, a sun-loving tropical plant from Mexico. By Thomas Mickey, The Patriot Ledger.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/holidays_seasonal/christmas/x1374759857/Thomas-Mickey-Holiday-warmth-the-sun-loving-poinsettia

PETER COSTA: Chipping away at writer’s block - Into every wordsmith’s life some writer’s blocks must fall. Most are just little stones that slurry our style; others are gigantic boulders that repulse thoughts like a Maginot Line. By Peter Costa, Lincoln, Mass.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x1122334674/Peter-Costa-Chipping-away-at-writer-s-block

JIM FALL: You have to keep laughing if you plan to remain sane -- Without making too much of a to-do about it, by this time next week, I will have passed one of life’s quasi-significant mileposts. I, you see, am about to observe my Diamond Jubilee. Or, as daughter Susie calls it, my Semi-Sesquicentennial. Maryville Daily Forum (Mo.)
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle/family/x1904672946/Jim-Fall-You-have-to-keep-laughing-if-you-plan-to-remain-sane

More in food and family at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/lifestyle

EDITORIAL: Term limits need to be placed on Congress -- We’d like to see a limit of two terms for those in both the House (four years total) and Senate (12 years total). And since they’d be around for much shorter periods of time, we can eliminate their pensions as well. Suburban Life Publications (Ill.)
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/opinions/editorials/x1954211104/Editorial-Term-limits-need-to-be-placed-on-Congress
*Localization tip: Include the number of terms served by your state representatives and senators.

KENT BUSH: Kansas governor’s office needs thicker skin - But then there are the people who should not have access to social media. I have friends who fall in and out of love with each changing phase of the moon and post each sordid moment for all to see. Other friends are far too caustic for a public venue. Others still reveal pure ignorance. Ten years ago, I would never have known how many “friends” I had in need of counseling. The world was a much more private place. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback might just fall into one of the latter categories of social media users. By Kent Bush, Augusta, Kan.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x133297342/Kent-Bush-Kansas-governor-s-office-needs-thicker-skin

AMY GEHRT: GOP’s ‘best candidate’ not good enough -- The New Hampshire Union Leader, the state’s largest newspaper, threw its support behind Gingrich Sunday, despite the fact that fellow GOP hopeful Mitt Romney has a vacation home in the Granite State and has been referred to as a “nearly native son of New Hampshire.” Pekin Daily Times (Ill.)
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/ebyline/opinions/x1374760905/Amy-Gehrt-GOP-s-best-candidate-not-good-enough
*Poll idea: Would you vote Newt Gingrich for president?

More columns and cartoons at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/opinions

Sports

NFL QUICK SHOTS: Texans still first despite losing stars to injury - No one should ever use injuries as an excuse after the Packers put 15 players, including nine starters, on injured reserve last year yet still reached the Super Bowl, and then won it despite losing Charles Woodson, Sam Shields and Donald Driver during the game. By Matt Trowbridge, Rockford, Ill.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/sports/x1374759947/NFL-Quick-Shots-Texans-still-first-despite-losing-stars-to-injury
* Facebook idea: Ask fans to weight in on Texans' chances to win it all, on Jay Cutler, etc.

More in NFL and college football at http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/sports

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